AUDIO: Rachel Corrie's parents discuss Tom Hurndall's death by a gunshot wound to the head

Audio (Friday, Apr. 11, 2003):
http://www.flashpoints.net/realaudio/fp20030411.ram



00:00 Israeli colonizers kill another peace activist.. British International Solidarity Movement (ISM) member, Tom Herndon shot in the head.. trying to rescue two children from Israeli sniper fire.. the day after what would have been Rachel Corrie's 24th birthday.. now an interview w eyewitness Joe Smith after Tom was shot, but before Tom died.. I'm from Kansas City, have been in Rafah four months.. we were going to set up a tent where a tank often drives up and fires into a neighborhood.. when we got there the tank was there and was already shooting.. from the tank and security tower snipers.. they started firing into the area where we were and were a bunch of kids were playing.. Tom noticed two young girls and went to get them to safety.. he was shot in the head by a sniper.. he was wearing an orange safety vest.. I administered aid, and an ambulance came and took him to a hospital, ten percent chance of survival.. [Tom has since died].. they stopped firing after Tom was shot.. Israeli shoot into houses along the border, building a huge wall.. Tom was hit squarely in the head.. there are two kinds of fire Israelis use.. machine gun fire.. and sniper fire, intentional targeted shots.. soldiers with scopes.. he was in full view of the sniper tower, they had been shooting at the kids.. Tom had been two weeks in Iraq as a human shield, an amazing photographer.. laidback but serious fellow.. Tom was shot in the head when we was trying to take two young children out of the line of fire.. the Palestinians carrying him out of the line of fire and an ambulance came in two minutes.. Joe is 21, and Tom is 21.. shot about 5PM Friday Palestine time..
-09:55 Dennis: now with Cindy and Craig Corrie, parents of Rachel Corrie.. Cindy: we just learned about Tom's shooting, and very upsetting.. Rachel had emphasized that we needed to support all ISM members.. ISM supporting the non-violent actions of the Palestinians.. Craig: we need to remember just how much violence the Palestinian suffer.. Cindy: we have to ask the people who say that the internationals shouldn't be there, should the Palestinians take the bullets that the ISM members do? why is any innocent person being shot.. Craig: these ISM kids believe that the Palestinians are very bit as valuable as anyone else.. Dennis: yesterday the birthday of Rachel and also the birthday of Avery.. Cindy: we had a wonderful birthday celebration for Rachel yesterday.. we spent time at the places she loved here in Olympia, Washington.. (details).. Craig: Rachel loved sushi, three groups of people bought her sushi last year for her birthday.. Cindy: yesterday I called Brian Avery's mother.. we can't do anything for Rachel right now.. Dennis: now w Sarah Simpson, Rachel's older sister.. Sarah: we had many exciting birthday with Rachel.. about Rachel's third birthday, we read a 'Francis the Badger' book, about Francis wanting a Chompo bar and 4 gumballs.. Dennis: I spoke with Rachel twice in the last couple of weeks before she was killed.. I got a sense of very strong resolve from this young woman for what she was doing.. Craig: when Rachel was ten, her class studied world hunger.. put on a press conference in front of TV.. she read notes and read into the camera for two minutes.. Sarah: we say Rachel is the one who gave wonderful hugs, and we're all missing that right now.. she came to live with me and my new husband for a while, to save money for her trip to Gaza.. about our time together.. Cindy: about the last time I spoke to Rachel.. I had gone to a Code Pink event.. opposing the war in Iraq.. I decided to speak to Rachel's Congressional representatives about the lack of US embassy support for American ISM members.. I called her to talk about that.. she said she felt the support had been weak from US and British embassies.. but the Japanese embassy supported Japanese ISM members.. she the Palestinians who want to respond non-violently need support from the ISM.. Craig: about House Resolution 111, introduced by Brian Baird.. in subcommitte.. calls on the US government to make a fair investigation of Rachel Corrie's death.. we urge YOU to contact your congressperson.. more info: http://www.congress.org.. http://www.rachelcorrie.com.. we welcome letters to the White House and the State Department.. many organizations signing on to this.. (including numerous Jewish American groups.. Sarah: about the legislation, see: thomas. search engine.. Dennis: the Israelis have made it so dangerous for journalists, we depend on the ISM members..
-35:41 Dennis: Tom Herndell, 21 years old, has died.. another victim of Israeli colonizers..
-36:26 Dennis: now w Azmi Bishara, a leading Palestinian political activist, a member of the Israeli Knesset since 1996, and founder of Balad (Democratic National Assembly) Party... indicted by Israel for treason for speaking out for the rights of Palestinians.. we talk about the war in Iraq.. Mr. Bishara: we are already in the aftermath of this aggression.. why we were against this war.. not to protect Saddam Hussein.. US imposing US hegemony.. the only superpower in the world today, behaves like Israel did in 1981.. Israel was criticized in 1981 by US.. Israelis now trigger happy, when they come to demolish a house, and are greeted with protest, they destroy half dozen houses.. shooting now internationals.. Event: Mr. Bishara is keynote speaker Saturday night at a American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee banquet in SF.. more info: 415 861-7444.. I said the intifada is legitimate resistence to occupation, and that Palestinians have the right to resist occupation.. under the Geneva Convention, all people have the right to resist occupation.. we were trying in a very gentle discourse to challenge the Israeli policies.. they were looking for an excuse.. we are indigenous people in our own country.. they are hoping I was convicted and could not run for Parliment again, but I ran again, and won three times the vote.. some in Parliment saying I should be shot.. I am not inciting violence, have been the victim of violence.. one time shot defending a house.. they have problem with us because we are more democratic than they.. two friends member of Palestinian Parliment, arrested by Israel and now in jail.. elected people.. Israel breaks international law and human rights.. the two facing a life sentence.. Dennis: about Cynthia McKinney here in the US.. Mr. Bishara: without the support of the US all this repression and occupation and settlements would not have been possible.. everybody knows this.. what people do not know.. the Israeli society is not any longer willing to pay the price of occupation.. Sharon elected, though, because of US support for Sharon.. without US support, the Israelis would get rid of Sharon.. US policies blocking genuine reform within Israel.. Palestinians are not anti-American, just want their rights..